


A Tale of Two Misfits: A Very Freaky Christmas

by weird_biscuits



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas Presents, Christmas Special, F/M, First Christmas, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28281951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weird_biscuits/pseuds/weird_biscuits
Summary: It's Jamie's first Christmas not spent running for his life or hiding from the cops. It's also his first winter Christmas, and he is curious to experience a traditional holiday with his new friends at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. But that's not all; its also Jamie's first Christmas with a girlfriend. Can he make the day special and memorable for both of them?
Relationships: Junkrat | Jamison Fawkes/Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	A Tale of Two Misfits: A Very Freaky Christmas

Jamie burrowed a little deeper into the blankets, a satisfying warmth permeating his body from head to toe. With the weak dawn just starting to break through the curtains of Satya’s dorm room, Jamie curled himself into a happy little ball. The bed warmer was on, the mattress was soft, and he was just so _comfortable_. 

“Jamie... you’re hogging the blankets again...” 

Satya turned in her sleep, reaching out with one hand to feel for him across the mattress. They must have lost each other in the sheets while they were sleeping. Jamie turned to meet her. 

“Sorry, Sweets,” he mumbled, still lingering somewhere between sleep and waking. “You know how I feel about being cold.” 

He relinquished his hold on the blankets, helping her to pull them over to her side of the bed until they were more evenly distributed. He opened his arms and she scooted in close, letting her arms snake around his torso, their bellies pressed together. 

“It might surprise you to note that others also enjoy a warm bed on a cold night,” Satya murmured, letting his unique smell envelop her. Peppermint toothpaste, a metallic kind of smell that reminded her of the old tools hanging on the Workshop wall, and something she could not quite put a name to; a subtle kind of charcoal-y, acrid undertone like the gunpowder from his cherry bombs. 

“I can think of a couple of easy ways to warm you up,” Jamie quipped, his nose nuzzled into the top of her head. That earned him a poke in the side for being cheeky, and he laughed in response. 

Jamie shifted the stump of his right arm under her head and along her shoulders so that she could press closer. 

“That alright?” he whispered in the dark of the room. He sometimes worried about weirding her out by touching her with his amputated limbs. 

“Hmmm,” she hummed affirmatively. Her nose was burrowed into his collarbone. It was nice and warm here in his arms. The rest of the room beyond their cozy cocoon was frigid with cold air, but here tangled around each other, it was easy to pretend it was not currently the dead of winter. 

“Do you know what day it is?” 

Jamie grinned. He allowed his good hand to linger on her hip, slowly creeping up her side to rest on the cage of her ribs. “Sunday,” he replied. “The perfect day for sleeping in.” He squeezed her a little tighter then. She made a soft sound like a chuckle in response. 

“No, I mean, do you know what _day_ it is?” 

Jamie’s fingers paused where they had slowly been treading a delicate path along her side and around her back towards her shoulder blades so he could squeeze her even closer. He thought about it for a moment as he slowly approached full consciousness. A jolt of surprise shot through his body, and he slipped out of her grip in the process. The whole bed shook. 

“It's Christmas!” he yelped. He sat up a little, propped on an elbow, looking down at her with wide eyes. “Satya! It’s Christmas!” 

She smiled up at him as he leaned over her. “I know. You’ve been so looking forward to it.” She took in his wide smile, the excitement in his eyes, with mild bemusement. “Merry Christmas, Jamie,” she added. 

“Merry Christmas,” Jamie replied, still smiling widely. 

She tugged him down by the shoulders to meet her mouth. Jamie obliged her gratefully, pressing warm and close with his lips on hers. His good hand slipped into her hair. 

They parted, and then Jamie’s eyes began to flit around the room, an excited kind of energy building inside him. He sat up a little straighter. “What should we do first? Check the stockings in the Common Room? Find some mistletoe and make out under it? Drink our body weight in hot chocolate?” 

Satya giggled. “All I know is the first thing I’m going to do is go for a jog, get some fresh air, and then take a shower.” 

Jamie’s expression dropped. “That’s not very Christmas-y.” 

Satya reached up to comb a few stray locks of hair out of his face. “Why don’t you sleep-in a little longer and I’ll meet you at the Mess for breakfast later?” 

Jamie started to scoot towards the edge of the bed closest to where remembered dropping his prostheses on the floor the night before. “Nah. I’m too excited now.” He fished around among the piles of discarded clothing for his prosthetic arm, locating it where it had rolled under the bed, and started strapping it on. “Athena, what time is it?” Jamie asked the empty space around them. 

“It's ten-twenty-two in the morning,” Athena replied automatically. 

“What!?” Jamie exclaimed. In his surprise, he slid off the bed and onto the floor, landing with a loud thump on Satya’s rug. 

“Jamie! Are you alright?” Satya cried. She rolled to the side of the mattress so she could peer down at him. 

“Ow...” Jamie groaned, lying prone on the floor of Satya’s dorm room. “Don’t worry, Sat. There’s nothing like the loving embrace of poured concrete,” he said with a grimace. He sat up and rubbed at his sore rear, then seemed to remember his train of thought. 

Annoyed, he exclaimed loudly, “Athena! Half the day is gone! Why didn’t you wake us?” 

“You two just looked so cute sleeping there...” Athena replied a little sheepishly. 

“Stop watching us!” Jamie exploded. He was now trying to hurriedly jam his metal leg onto the end of his stump. 

Seeing that Jamie was fine, Satya decided now might be a good time to pull herself out of bed and start dressing for her jog. While she was doing that, Jamie stood and threw back the drapes over the nearby window to reveal a grey and bleak overcast sky. Jamie frowned. The weak sunlight he had mistaken for dawn at first was nothing but a dreary winter’s day. 

“‘Half the day’ is _not gone_ ,” Athena pointed out. “It’s still morning.” 

“Each hour not spent opening presents, eating to excess, or watching cheesy Christmas specials, is wasted real estate, Athena!” Jamie growled. Satya rolled her eyes from across the room. 

"And I was not _‘watching’_ you _per se_ ,” Athena went on as though he had said nothing. “I don’t have eyes after all. I was just monitoring vital statistics...” 

“Well, don’t monitor us either!” Jamie barked, bending down to retrieve the rest of his clothes from the floor. 

“‘Wake us up!’ ‘Don’t watch us!’ Make a decision!” Athena cried, exasperated. 

When Jamie straightened again, Satya was standing in front of him. She reached up on her toes to press a soft kiss against his mouth. Jamie was instantly calmed again. When she pulled back, Jamie was watching her with a nervous quirk at the corner of his mouth, his cheeks flushed pink. She was amazed at how easy it was to get him all shy even after all the time they had spent together. 

“Meet me at the Mess for breakfast?” she asked him. “I won’t be long.” 

“Sure,” he murmured in reply. 

“Athena, don’t forget your promise,” Satya said aloud to the space above their heads. “Jamison and I would appreciate you not mentioning to anyone that he stays in my room with me from time to time.” 

Jamie and Satya were trying to keep their relationship secret from the rest of the base for now. Jamie had been happy to acquiesce to Satya’s request; it meant she got to keep her job, and Jamie got to keep his head. If Roadie found out that Jamie had broken his promise not to mess around with any of the other agents on base, Jamie did not what to think about what Roadie would do to him. But it seemed that nothing could be hidden from Athena, so she was in on the secret for the time being. 

“Understood,” Athena replied, and didn’t say any more. 

Satya nodded in satisfaction. She turned her attention back to Jamie. “Go on,” she urged him. “I’ll catch up with you soon.” 

Jamie nodded and hurried to pull on the remainder of his clothing. Dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a hoodie, he crossed the room to the door. As soon as he stepped out into the hall, checking carefully that no one was around to spot him coming out of Satya’s room, he started the long trek across base to the Mess. 

When Jamie made his way out of the building that contained the barracks, he found that the morning outside on the grounds of Watchpoint: Gibraltar was still just as dreary as when he had looked through Satya’s window. He set off along one of the long driveways that lead towards the radar arrays and comm towers along the cliffside of base. The air was cold, so Jamie quickly shoved his ungloved hands into the pockets of his hoodie to keep at least one of them warm. As he walked, he felt his hand knock against something hard in his pocket. Pulling it out, he found himself looking down at the screen of his phone. 

He switched on the home screen and found a few text messages awaiting his attention. Two of them were from Hana and Lúcio, both of whom had gone back to South Korea and Brazil respectively to spend Christmas with family. Hana’s message, the most recent, read: 

_Merry Christmas! I’m expecting live updates from base on what everyone gets up to today. Save some Christmas pudding for me! See you soon!_

Jamie smiled and shot a quick ‘Merry Christmas’ back to her, then checked Lúcio’s message. There was a picture attached of him on the beach with some people Jamie did not recognize. Jamie was immediately jealous. Lúcio’s message had come in overnight while Jamie was sleeping, so he guessed that the picture must have been taken the day before. 

_Hey man. Happy holidays from sunny Rio. Tell everyone hi from me. I’ll be back in time for new_ _years_ _. Have a great day man. I know it's your first winter Christmas._

Jamie smiled at the sentiment. It was true it would be his first-time experience Christmas in the northern hemisphere. But part of him longed for another Christmas in the warmer weather. 

Jamie continued to follow the driveway as it looped around behind the Commissary and set off up a low rise towards the tallest comm tower. 

Hopefully, Christmas in the winter would be fun. He did not like the cold, but it was worth it to spend his first Christmas as boyfriend and girlfriend together with Satya. He would need to make sure it was a special day. That was a good boyfriend thing to do right? 

Just as Jamie was in the middle of typing out a reply text to Lúcio, something cold and wet came flying across the open area and struck Jamie in the side of the head. 

“Jamie! Get your head down!” someone cried. 

Jamie spun, looking for the source of the voice. Not too far away, he spotted two figures squatting down behind a cargo crate. He realised it was McCree and Mei, both motioning urgently for Jamie to join them. Jamie was about to ask what was going on, but before he could utter more than a word, something whizzed past his ear. Jamie spun again, searching for the source of whatever had been flung at him. Icy cold water was starting drip into the collar of his hoodie from the first blow. 

Without an inkling of comprehension, Jamie scrambled towards McCree and Mei, and threw himself down beside them. Snowball was hovering over Mei’s shoulder, as usual. He whimpered at Jamie as he scooted in close behind the small cargo crate. 

“What was that?” Jamie asked, wiping at the cold moisture dripping down the side of his head. 

“Snowballs,” McCree replied through grit teeth. “We’re under siege.” 

While they were talking, a hail of snowballs came flying towards their position, crashing against the cargo crate and breaking into an icy spray over their heads. McCree pulled the brim of his cowboy hat down hard over his head to protect his himself from the onslaught. 

“Snow?” Jamie began. “But it’s not cold enough for...” 

He paused. The weather around the Rock was not near cold enough for snow to form. The ground beneath, while cold, was completely dry. Where could the snowballs have come from other than... 

Jamie glanced at Mei crouched beside him. “Mei, did you...?” 

Mei appeared to be in a state of distress. She looked up at Jamie with a forlorn expression. “I am an unwilling participant in this,” she whimpered. 

“Enough chatter,” McCree barked. “We need more ammunition for return fire!” He chanced a look at the enemy line, leaning around the crate briefly and then snapping back to a safe position as more snowballs came flying towards them. “We’re sitting ducks out here. Get on it, Mei!” 

Mei looked like she was about to cry. She dutifully started producing snowballs with her Endothermic Blaster, patting them into firm shapes with her gloved hands. Jamie looked past her to McCree. 

“What exactly is going on here?” he asked the senior agent. 

“Can’t you guess?” McCree quipped back at him. “There’s Jerrys in those trenches! We need to fight back!” 

_‘Jerrys?’_ Jamie also chanced a look over the edge of the crate towards the spot McCree had also tried to get a good look at before. 

Over by the main building were a few more crates stacked around the entrance, the same doorway that led to the Mess. Someone was standing over there, crouched behind the crates. Jamie ducked as more snowballs came hurtling towards them, but he was pretty sure he spotted a couple of tall figures standing there. One of them, most recognizably, was Reinhardt. 

“Come here!” Reinhardt called out to them in a sing-song voice. 

Standing next to Reinhardt was Roadie, to Jamie’s surprise. He was reaching into a cooler beside him to retrieve and lob pre-made snowballs in their direction. He released a raucous laugh as he let another snowball fly. Jamie ducked out of the way as more of ice smattered against his cover. Just before he had ducked out of view, he had seen Reinhardt rolling a larger snowball from the smaller ones lying around on the ground. This was about to get ugly. 

“They won’t let us pass!” Mei cried. “We were trying to go through that door, and they attacked us!” 

_‘So, an ambush then,’_ Jamie mused. Behind Reinhardt and Roadie was the door that led to the Mess. The two tanks must have been lying in wait for people to start arriving for breakfast so they could pelt them with snowballs. Jamie made a mental note to dock Roadie’s share of the treasure, and tried to assess his current options. How were they going to get past them? 

When Jamie turned back to McCree, he found him attempting to lob several freshly-made snowballs courtesy of Mei over the crate in Reinhardt’s general direction. 

“I have an idea,” Jamie said to the other two agents. Mcree, Mei and Snowball all looked up at him hopefully. “We’ll need a diversion. I say we sacrifice Snowball, and while Reinhardt is distracted, we sneak in through the side entrance over by the north-most radar array.” 

Mei’s expression soured. “We are _not_ sacrificing Snowball.” 

Snowball, who was still floating over her shoulder, was inching away from Jamie with wide, frightened eyes. Mei pulled him close and tucked him protectively into her folded arms. 

Jamie threw up his hands in defeat. “Well, do you have a better idea? We’re all cold and hungry, Mei, and you know how I get when I haven’t had my breakfast! Why are you being so selfish?” 

Mei gaped at him indignantly. 

"I’ve got a better idea,” McCree told them. “We make a frontal assault, take as many snowballs as we can carry, and try to bum-rush them through the door.” 

“What about casualties?” Jamie asked. 

McCree grimaced back at him. “That’s a risk we may need to take,” he told Jamie. 

Mei looked somehow even more scandalized. 

Jamie shared a resolute nod of approval with McCree. “Let’s do this.” 

Both men scooped as many snowballs into their arms as they could possibly carry, while Mei watched them with a great deal of alarm. She sputtered at the sight of the two men as they hurried to cram their pockets full of ice and tucked what was left into the crooks of their arms. Before she could offer any kind of protest, they were both up and vaulting over the crate that was protecting them, and sprinting towards the door to the Mess. 

“Ah! Another wave of attacks incoming!” Reinhardt exclaimed loudly to Roadie, who in turn hurried to retrieve more ammunition from the cooler full of snowballs. 

Suddenly the air was full of ice flying in all directions. Jamie had to duck out of the way a few times as snowballs came hurtling towards him, coming up again to lob his ammunition with a strong overarm. Just as he was about to let his snowball fly, he was smashed in the face with return fire. He sputtered and stumbled to the side, his face covered in ice. Some of the water had gone up his nose. 

Roadie released a guffaw. “Gotcha!” he boomed. 

Jamie wiped the water from the face with the back of his hand. He would not let Roadie get away with that. He wound up his arm, ready to extract his revenge. He took aim, and threw his snowball at Roadie with all his strength. He watched as the snowball struck his intended target, the center of Roadie’s gasmask, causing the larger man to stumble backwards. 

Jamie laughed triumphantly. “You bloody drongos will never take us alive!” he cried, turning his attention on Reinhardt now. 

There was a grunt of pain somewhere to his left. 

Jamie whirled to find McCree lying prone on the ground just short of the ramp that led up to the building entrance. He appeared to have slipped on an icy patch of ground. 

Jamie hurried to his comrade’s side. “McCree! What happened?” He helped McCree rolled onto his back. 

McCree looked up at Jamie, his hat lost somewhere in the scuffle. “You need to go on without me,” he ground out. 

“Don’t talk like that,” Jamie replied through grit teeth. “You’re gunna make it soldier.” 

“Leave me,” McCree told him. 

Jamie was not having any of it. He took hold of the cowboy with both hands and shook him roughly. In a deathly calm voice, Jamie said, “McCree, you can give up now, or you can _get back on your feet_ , because I certainly can’t do it without you, and _I know you can’t do it without me._ ” 

“I appreciate it, Jamie,” McCree replied calmly. “But look what we’re dealing with here.” He raised one hand and pointed towards the building entrance. 

Jamie followed the direction indicated with his eyes, spotting the problem immediately. Reinhardt held one of his super-snowballs aloft, ready to hurl it at the two of them. And Jamie was out of ammunition. Together, he and McCree braced themselves for the final blow. 

_“_ _Dòng_ _zhù_ _!_ _Bù_ _xǔ_ _zǒu_ _!”_

Something small and blue flew over their heads. Jamie had to brace a hand in front of his face as an icy wind whipped up, blowing fresh snowflakes around the surrounding buildings and annexes. Suddenly the air was so ungodly cold that Jamie found he could barely move. Neither could McCree it seemed as he was nearly buried in snow within seconds. 

Jamie chanced an upward glance, up the ramp towards the building entrance. Reinhardt, with his snowball still hoisted over his head, was frozen over and unable to move. Roadie was standing behind him in a similar state of affairs. 

With all four men finally subdued and unable to move, Mei emerged from behind the crate and started walking calmly towards the others. 

“Now that’s quite enough,” she said as she arrived at Jamie’s shoulder. She snapped her fingers and Snowball, who was hovering high over their heads, cut off the blizzard he was creating. Jamie started to feel himself thaw out. He took a gasping breath of air now that his ribs were free to move again. 

“We are going to stop this nonsense right now,” Mei told them all. “And we are going to go inside and have a nice Christmas breakfast.” 

Jamie stood, shedding layers of ice as he did so. McCree achieved a miraculous recovery and followed suit. They both turned towards her. 

“Sorry, Mei,” they said in unison. 

Mei nodded with approval. She turned to the other two men standing beside the building entrance. “And as for you two,” she went on. 

Reinhardt and Roadie, now dripping wet from the melting ice, seemed to visibly brace themselves for what Mei was about to say to them. 

“You’ve caused quite enough trouble,” Mei told them, hands on hips. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t report both of you for playing pranks on other staff.” 

Thoroughly scolded, both tanks could only nod in reply. 

Mei extended one hand and pointed towards the entrance that led to the Mess. “All of you. Inside. Now,” she commanded. 

Under her watchful gaze, everyone began to shuffle towards the door while Snowball oversaw proceedings from Mei’s right shoulder. McCree was limping slightly because of his scraped knee. 

“And McCree?” Mei added, eyeing McCree’s injury with concern. “I think you’d better get yourself to the infirmary.” 

\-- 

“I’m really sorry about all of this, Ange.” 

Angela looked up from her work to find Jamie staring down at the floor, a look of chagrin on his face. 

“It's alright,” she told him with a shrug. “I’m used to working on Christmas.” 

Jamie was sitting on a gurney lined up against the adjacent wall. He kept glancing at the clock above the medical cabinets from time to time, and his left leg was jiggering with unspent energy. Angela got the impression there was somewhere else he wanted to be. 

“Before the Recall, I worked for many years in a _Médecins Sans_ _Frontières_ program,” she went on. “We often worked through the holidays.” 

“Yeah, but still,” Jamie mumbled. 

Angela finished fixing the bandage in place around McCree’s knee who was seated in front of her. From what the two men had explained to her, there had been some sort of snowball fight outside the Mess and McCree had sustained a cut knee at some point. How they had managed to find any snowballs to scrape together in this mild weather was a mystery to Angela. 

She stood back and assessed her work. McCree’s knee was not too bad as injuries go, but it had been bleeding enough to require a heavy dousing of disinfectant and a large bandage. She made a mental note to check on him in a couple of days. 

McCree rolled down his pant leg and nodded his appreciation. “Thanks for patching me up again, Doc,” he said with a lazy smirk. 

“No more rough-housing,” Angela told them both sternly and they nodded meekly in reply. 

“Where’s my lollipop?” McCree asked. 

Angela rolled her eyes before heading over to a desk drawer. “I’m all out, but you can have this,” she said, retrieving a confectionery from the drawer, a candy cane as it turned out, and tossed it at him. McCree caught it out of the air. 

“Ahem.” 

Angela turned to Jamie and saw that he was watching her hopefully. She sighed. _‘Well, it is Christmas after all,’_ she mused to herself. 

She reached back into the draw and tossed one to him as well. Jamie expression transformed into a look of delight as he ripped the wrapping off his treat. Angela smiled. 

“It was very nice of you to come with McCree and make sure he was treated straight away,” Angela told Jamie. 

“He’s practicing being a good boy for Santa,” McCree quipped and Jamie threw his empty lolly wrapper at him in retaliation. 

“You could probably afford to follow his example,” Angela told McCree ruefully. “If you had it your way, you’d be hiding from me somewhere trying to fix your own injury with whiskey and a tourniquet.” 

McCree shrugged. “Probably,” he replied. Then he winked at her. “But alcohol is banned on base, Doc.” 

Angela made a low noise of disbelief. She had noticed Genji wandering the base in a slightly inebriated state every other Tuesday evening and had surmised that McCree had orchestrated some kind of ‘Boys Club’ or other mischief under the Commander’s radar. Most trouble on base could be traced back to McCree in one way or another. She just hoped he would not be too much of an influence on Jamie who was trying to turn his life around. 

Angela glanced up at the clock then, noting that it was now around eleven-thirty in the morning. “You two had better hurry along,” Angela told them. “You’ve missed breakfast. And they’ll be opening presents soon in the Common Room.” 

Jamie pulled the candy cane from his mouth and frowned up at the clock. He had missed having breakfast with Satya and she was probably wondering where he was. He should really get going now that McCree was alright. 

Jamie watched Angela as she stepped across the room to deposit her cotton swabs, bits of cut bandages, and disposable gloves in the medical waste. 

“Are you coming to the Christmas party, Ange?” Jamie asked her. 

Angela turned to nod at him. “Yes, I’ll just finish up here and then I’ll be right behind you.” 

McCree stood and stretched. “We’ll try not to drink all the eggnog before you get there,” he told her and she shook her head at him admonishingly. 

As both men made their way out of the room, Angela waved them off and they set off down a corridor towards the elevators. Jamie’s head was filled with thoughts of Satya and their missed breakfast date. He had told himself earlier that morning that he would be a good boyfriend and make today a special day for them, but he had let her down already. He just hoped he could make it up to her. 

“So, you’ve joined the ‘We-Don’t-Go-Home-for-Christmas’ club,” McCree remarked conversationally. 

Jamie glanced up at him, surprised by the sound of the American’s voice. He had been so lost in his own thoughts; he had forgotten that McCree was walking beside him. 

“Didn’t have much of a choice,” Jamie said with a shrug. “Haven’t got anywhere to go home to.” 

McCree nodded in understanding. “I know how that feels,” he said. “You’re not the only one like that around here.” 

They had arrived at the elevators. McCree punched the button that would take them up and they both waited for the doors to open. 

“A lot of people around here don’t have much of any family for visiting anymore,” McCree went on. 

“Because of the war...” Jamie replied. 

The elevators ‘pinged’ and then the doors opened for them. They stepped inside quickly and Jamie selected the button for the level where the Common Room was. When Jamie looked up at McCree again, there was a slightly dark expression on his face. 

“Yeah,” he said in a non-committal sort of way. 

It was true that the Omnic War had resulted in a lot of people losing family members. Jamie had lost his own parents many years ago now. He was not the only one on base in such a situation, many of whom seemed to be spending their Christmas on-base. While most of the professional staff had gone home for the holidays, Jamie and the others who remained would spend the festive season ‘on call’ for anything that might jeopardize international peace. It made sense, considering they did not have anywhere else to be. Jamie was not sure where McCree stood on the 'not having family’ front, but felt now was not the right time to pry. 

“That’s why we made our own little family here,” McCree went on. “Now we can spend Christmas together without even needing to leave base.” 

“Convenient,” Jamie remarked quietly. 

The doors opened and the two men found themselves deposited on the level where the Common Room was. They started making their way through the twisting corridors that snaked through the Rock towards their destination. 

“It's nice,” McCree said. “There are more folks than I expected staying on-base this time of year. Should make for an entertaining day.” 

Jamie realised they had arrived at the door to the Common Room. McCree swiped his wristband over the security panel to open the door, and then they both stepped through. As Jamie looked up at his surroundings, he needed a moment to digest the scene before him. 

The room was still decorated in permanent frost as Mei had set it up a week prior. In fact, Mei was standing over to one side of the room fiddling with some kind of machine. She seemed to get it working because soft, white snowflakes started to drift down from the ceiling to everyone’s delight. 

_‘More permafrost?’_ Jamie wondered. 

Over by the enormous Christmas tree, a small crowd of agents were gathered around, some sitting on the floor amidst scraps of torn paper. Amongst the twenty or so agents, Jamies spotted Lena and Winston over by the tree admiring the frosty branches. Echo was flitting around the top of the tree, examining every bauble with great interest. Baptiste, Genji and Zenyatta were standing by the large plate glass windows, deep in conversation while the shipping liners chugged along in the distance. The Commander, Sojourn and Ana were seated on the sofas where they could watch over proceedings. Even Orisa was sitting beside the Christmas tree, legs folded neatly beneath her. Efi and Abayomi were nearby engaged in conversation. There was laughter and comradery, and soft music in the air. 

Jamie spotted Satya pretty quickly sitting on one of the sofas, one leg crossed over the other, watching over everything. She was sitting next to Roadie who was reclining on the sofa and taking in the activity around him with great interest. Satya spotted Jamie too, and he watched her mouth break into a wide smile as their eyes met across the room. She appeared relieved to see him. 

Satya made a gesture of confusion and mouthed the words, _‘Where have you been?’_ at him. He shrugged apologetically in reply and resolved to explain the impromptu snowball fight and the trip to the infirmary to her later. 

A snack table had been set up to one side of the room. Jamie spotted a collection of cookies and pastries and a hot chocolate bar. He felt his stomach growl at the sight. He had skipped breakfast and with all the activity outside the Mess, he had worked up an appetite now. He stopped by the snack table on the way over to the Christmas tree and stuffed a few pastries in his mouth then slipped some cookies into his pocket for later. McCree seemed to also think this was a good idea because he followed suit. 

“McCree! Jamie! Hurry! You’re missing it!” 

It was Lena sitting by the base of the Christmas tree, cross-legged on the carpet. She was waving them over. Beside her was a young girl with bright red hair who Jamie had never seen before. 

“Who’s this?” Jamie asked as he crossed the room towards the others. 

Lena smiled at the girl beside her. “Jamie, this is Emily. She’s spending Christmas with us,” Lena explained. 

_‘Ah, so this must be the mysterious girlfriend Lena is always talking about,’_ Jamie mused. 

Jamie gingerly picked his way between the agents, discarded paper, and presents lying around on the carpet. As he drew near, he reached out to shake Emily’s hand and she smiled up at him. 

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Emily told him. 

“All good things, I hope,” Jamie replied with a smirk and Emily giggled. “Nice to finally meet you,” he added. 

“Likewise,” Emily replied. 

“Alright, alright!” Lena began, shooing Jamie away. “It's time to open the next present!” 

Jamie stepped over towards the couches and dropped into a seat beside Satya, squeezing in between her and Roadie. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” he whispered to her and she smiled in reply. She was wearing that gold and silver necklace he had given her for Christmas a few days ago. It looked beautiful on her. 

“What happened?” Satya asked quietly. 

“I’ll explain later,” Jamie whispered back. He shot her an apologetic look, feeling awful about how he must have made her worry needlessly. It made him unreasonably angry at Roadie and Reinhardt in that moment for their stupid snowball game. 

Jamie turned to Roadie on his left. “You done with all your pranks now?” he asked the older man. 

Roadie released a loud guffaw from deep in his chest. “The look on your face when I pegged you between the eyes with that snowball.” He laughed again. 

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Try to maintain a decent level of maturity, please, Roadie,” Jamie told him. “This is a fancy Christmas party and the last thing I need is for you to spoil the whole day with more of your childish antics.” 

Roadie only laughed at him. 

“The next person to receive a present is... our favourite Commander Dad!” Lena announced. She had a parcel of brightly coloured gift wrapping ready for Jack to take it. 

There was a smattering of applause as the Commander got up from one of the nearby sofas and crossed the space to take the parcel from Lena. While Lena fished for another present under the tree, everyone turned to watch Jack unwrap his gift. 

“It says it's from a Secret Santa,” Jack remarked, examining the tag. 

“Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll get Intel on it,” Ana told him and the rest of the agents laughed. 

Everyone watched with great interest as Jack retook his seat and unwrapped his gift. Jack plastered a grim expression on his face, almost as though he was expecting some sort of gag gift to come out of the wrapping. Finally, Jack finished unwrapping the present and stared down at what was resting in his lap with disbelief. 

“What is it?” Lena asked. 

Jack held it up so everyone could see. 

“A sweater?” he asked aloud. 

“That’s not just any sweater,” Ana told him. “That’s an ugly Christmas sweater.” 

It was true. Jack was holding some kind of bright green pullover with alternating snowflake and Christmas tree patterns in white. Right in the middle of the jumper, was a tiny red Pachimari, positioned so that it would appear over the chest when worn. It looked like a bit of an eyesore to Jamie. 

There were more than a few giggles that went around the group of gathered agents. Clearly Jack’s fears had come to fruition. 

“I think it's cute,” Mei volunteered helpfully. 

Jack side-eyed Ana with suspicion. 

“Did you have something to do with this?” he asked her. Sojourn, who was sitting on Ana’s other side, hid a smile behind her cup of hot chocolate. 

“Whatever do you mean, Jack?” Ana asked, affecting an air of innocence. “Aren’t you pleased to receive such a splendid Christmas present? Maybe you should put it on so you don’t offend your Secret Santa.” 

Jack’s expression remained sour. Lena decided it was best to hurry along to the next present. She grabbed something small from under the tree and hurried to read the tag. 

“Next person to get a present is... Jamie!” 

Jamie whipped around to look at Lena. “Me?” 

Lena held an impeccably-wrapped present out for him and Jamie stared at it with a stunned expression. After a beat, Satya nudged him with her elbow and Jamie realised everyone was watching him, waiting for him to take it. He reached out and Lena turned it over to him. 

“Oh,” he said, because he could not think of anything else to say. He took the parcel gingerly between his fingers and held it in his lap for a moment. Whatever it was, it was something soft, and lightweight. Wrapped in red paper with a little gingerbread cookie pattern, Jamie suddenly felt it was too good to open. He checked the tag, and confirmed it was his name written there in neat letters. 

“Are you going to open it?” Satya asked him. She was watching him with an amused smirk. 

“I...” Jamie began, uncertain. “Am I allowed?” 

“Of course,” Satya told him patiently. 

Jamie stared down at the parcel in his lap. This was his first Christmas present he had received in a long time and he was not quite sure what to do with himself. 

Jamie realised again that the other agents were watching him, waiting for him to open his gift. Jamie carefully began to lift one of the corners of the wrapping. He did not want to rip the paper. It was too perfect. Maybe he could keep it for later? Everyone else had simply thrown their paper on the floor... 

“I can’t remember the last time I got anything for Christmas,” Jamie whispered to Satya, and she smiled at him. 

Jamie pulled the two halves of the wrapping paper aside to reveal the contents. Several items sieved through the paper and into his lap. Jamie picked up each item in turn. A pair of orange mittens, made from a thick and soft wool. A beanie made from a similar material, and a matching long scarf with pom-poms on the end. Jamie had never felt something so warm and luxurious. These items were not made from sheep's wool—they were too soft—perhaps alpaca wool. Jamie guessed that someone must have known about his hatred of the cold and put a lot of thought into the gift. 

“Nice one, Jamie,” Lena said. There were murmurs of agreement all around. 

To everyone present, it was a fairly standard gift, but to Jamie, he had never received anything so nice in recent memory. He stared at each item with wonderment. He could not bring himself to say anything. 

“Who’s it from?” Emily asked. 

Jamie checked the tag again after rummaging amidst the paper for a moment. “It just says, ‘From S’,” he told her. 

“From Santa,” Emily said with a smile. “Nice.” 

“Ok! Time for the next present!” Lena announced and everyone turned their attention to the next gift. 

Jamie shot Satya, who was still sitting next to him, a side-long glance. She had affected an air of innocence, a smug little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. 

“What?” she asked when she noticed Jamie had been watching her with suspicion. 

“ _Two_ mittens?" Jamie asked her with a smirk. He held up his metal hand as if to emphasize his point. “Seems a little unnecessary don’t you think?” 

Satya maintained her smug expression. “Of course. So that you’ll be symmetrical when you wear them.” 

“Of course,” Jamie agreed. He smiled his thanks at her. 

While they had been talking, Efi and Lena had left the room and returned carrying a gift box between them with an enormous golden bow on it. The box must have been heavy because they were struggling slightly to carry it across the room to the others. 

“The next present is for Orisa!” Lena said in a sing-song voice. 

“Me?” Orisa asked. She was still seated beside the tree, surrounded by discarded gift wrap. 

Efi and Lena placed the box in front of Orisa with a great deal of effort, the stood back to watch Orisa’s response. 

“Go on, Orisa,” Efi said with a wide smile. She turned to wink at Jamie and then added, “Open it!” 

Jamie felt a smile spread across his face. He had a feeling he knew what was inside the brightly-coloured gift box. 

Orisa lifted the lid and the sides of the box fell away instantly. There were cries of surprise from the other agents. Winston the black-and-white Boston Terrier puppy—the same dog Efi and Jamie had picked up from the local shelter around a week ago, the same dog who Efi had been hiding in her room since—was sitting on the floor in front of Orisa, staring up at the automaton with large, brown eyes. 

Orisa was speechless. She seemed not to know what to do with her single functioning arm, but made a gesture of barely contained excitement. 

The dog looked up at all the agents gathered around, scratched himself, and then leapt up on Orisa. He yipped loudly, paws planted on her folded legs, trying to get close enough to her for a good sniff. Orisa obliged him and lifted the puppy up with one hand. She laughed as the dog sniffed and licked at her face. 

“I got a puppy!” Orisa told everyone, setting the dog down again. “My wish came true!” 

“His name is Winston,” Efi told her. The dog had started running around the room to sniff and lick at as many people as he possibly could. 

“What?” Gorilla-Winston asked. “You can’t be serious.” The dog was now circling the Head of the Science department and sniffing at him with great curiosity. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll call him ‘Little Winston’,” Jamie told him. “And you can be ‘Big Winston’.” There as a chorus of laughter all around. 

Big Winston made a face of indignation. “You’re not really going to call him that are you...?” he began. 

“Winston!” Orisa called out, beckoning the dog back to her side with one hand. The puppy obediently trotted over. 

“Look!” Lena exclaimed. “He already knows his name!” 

Big Winston grumbled quietly to himself as the other agents reached out to pat Little Winston, remarking how cute he was, as he passed them on his way back to Orisa’s side. 

“I wish I’d got a puppy,” Jamie heard Jack murmur under his breath as he watched Orisa play with the dog. 

There was more present-opening which excited a furor as everyone politely admired and discussed each item as it was unearthed from the shiny wrapping paper. Mei got a new charm for her bracelet. Baptiste was given a new pin watch to wear on his rounds of the infirmary. Abayomi received her ‘Bod, Bath and Beauty’ bath bombs with an exclamation of delight. She pulled Efi close and hugged her in thanks. 

Finally, when everyone was full to the brim with hot chocolate and the spirit of Christmas, Winston struck gently at the side of his mug with a teaspoon to draw the attention of everyone in the room. 

“I’d like to take a moment to say a few words, if I may,” he began and a quiet hush fell over the room. The chatter died down, and Orisa stopped playing with her puppy. 

Winston cleared his throat. “Before the Recall, Christmases at the Watchpoint were a lonely affair. It really is a joy to see so many of you together to celebrate this time of year again...” Winston paused here momentarily because Little-Winston was leaping up on his front and yelping with delight, trying to lick at the Gorilla’s face. Winston pushed him away gently with one large, leathery hand. 

“I’m sure you’ll all join me in agreeing that we are a family,” Winston went on, despite the puppy’s efforts. There were murmurs of agreement all around, and some giggles too. “We live together, eat together, work together, and sometimes we save each other from life-threatening danger. These are the bonds that draw us together.” 

_‘A family?’_ Jamie mused to himself. It had been a long time since he had considered himself part of one of those. 

Little Winston, again, continued trying to get Big Winston’s attention. He yipped loudly, jumping about on the spot. The gorilla was starting to have a difficult time staying focused on his speech while also trying to push the pup away with one hand. 

“As I was saying,” Winston said. “It brings me great pleasure to see... to see...” 

Little-Winston, with renewed vigor, was desperately attempting to draw Winston’s attention. Jumping and licking, he took hold of the hem of Winston’s pullover and tugged urgently on it. The little puppy was determined to draw the Scientist into some form of play fight. 

“Come on, Big Guy,” Lena said, cuffing Winston on the shoulder with one hand. “That’s enough of that sappy stuff. Let’s go have some fun.” 

There was a chorus of voices in agreement. Several people offered to go for a walk with Orisa and her new puppy. 

“Attention Agents,” Athena’s voice sounded over the intercom. “The screening of ‘Pachimari Saves Christmas’ will begin in Screening Room Four in twenty minutes.” 

There were noises of approval at this announcement. Some of the agents stood and stretched, ready to head out in search of afternoon activities. 

Jamie turned to Satya, still seated beside him. “What do you want to do now?” he asked her. 

Satya shook her head at him with a wry smile. “I’m heading down to the kitchen now to help get ready for lunch. I’m making beef madras,” she told him. 

“You’re leaving?” he asked. His heart dropped. They were already halfway through Christmas Day now and he had barely spent any time with her. 

“I’m sorry,” she told him. “Why don’t you go watch that Pachimari thing and I’ll be along as soon as I can.” 

Jamie frowned. “Yeah, maybe,” he said, his tone evasive. 

He watched her stand and head for the door to the Common Room. He almost forgot that Roadie was still sitting next to him on his other side. He was watching Jamie with a great deal of suspicion from behind his gasmask and Jamie noticed instantly. Jamie cleared his throat, avoiding the older man’s gaze. Suddenly, he felt a hand drop on his shoulder. 

“Jamie! Roadie!” 

Jamie turned and found McCree standing over his shoulder, leaning over the back of the couch. Jamie was glad of the distraction. 

“Me and the boys are going for drinks and a round of poker. Join us!” McCree said with a smile. Jamie looked past McCree and saw Baptiste and Genji standing behind him waiting for the Junkers’ response. 

Roadie appeared amenable to this idea, because he stood quickly. Jamie decided to join them—there was nothing else to do now that Satya had headed off to the Mess—so he stood and turned to face the others. 

“I wanted to watch the Pachimari special,” Genji muttered. 

Jamie fixed Genji with a steely look. “Genji, every time you watch one of those Christmas specials, a suit somewhere gets a royalty cheque,” he told the other man. “You’re part of the problem.” 

Baptiste’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong with Christmas specials?” he asked. 

Jamie shrugged. “Oh, I dunno,” he began. “Just that some people like to substitute actually working on their familial relationships with watching fake relationships on T.V. That’s how suits keep you spellbound and docile.” 

“But watching corny Christmas specials is a Christmas tradition,” Genji insisted. 

“Is it?” Jamie asked, reaching up and stretching his arms over his head. “Or is it a tradition _because_ people watch corny Christmas specials?” 

“Don’t be a scrooge,” McCree interjected. “Repeating things back in reverse doesn’t make you look any smarter.” 

“ _Or_ am I smarter _because_ I repeat things back in reverse?” Jamie asked, one eyebrow arched derisively. 

“No,” Roadie told him. 

They decided then to head for McCree’s secret storeroom where they usually held their Boys Night every other Tuesday. It was midday, so McCree deemed it was a socially acceptable time of the day to start drinking. There were several rounds of poker and several stories shared around the table. Jamie started to nurse a little buzz from all the alcohol consumption. By the time Athena announced over the P.A. system that lunch would commence in ten minutes in the Mess, Jamie was feeling pleasantly comfortable and feeling happy to have spent an hour or so hanging out with good friends. He did not even mind that he owed Baptiste thirty euros. 

“Alright boys,” McCree said, standing and collecting his winnings from the table. “Time for lunch, I think. Jamie, don’t forget it's your turn to bring the snacks next Tuesday.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jamie mumbled in reply. He also stood, eager to head over to the Mess and find Satya. Surely, she would be done with whatever she had been up to in the kitchen by now? So far, he had spent most of his Christmas with McCree instead of his own girlfriend. That was something he intended to rectify as soon as possible. 

\-- 

When Jamie and the others arrived, Christmas lunch was in full swing. Jamie had to take a moment to stand back and take it all in. The normally stark and white Mess Hall had been decorated with tinsel and lights festooned along the walls, railings and table edges. Decorated Christmas trees stood in each corner of the room. Jamie had missed all of this when he and McCree skipped breakfast and headed off to the Infirmary. 

The Mess was set with a warm glow from the digital screens that lined the walls, set to play a video of a burning yule log fireplace on a loop. Many of the tables were unoccupied with so many staff on leave through the holiday period, but some of the tables had been pushed together to form a long line down the centre of the room. Many of the agents were already seated around the tables, engaged in conversation and sharing plates of food. 

As the boys peeled away to find a seat, Jamie spotted Reinhardt who was waving him and Roadie over. Satya was seated opposite Reinhardt at the same table and thankfully there was seat open next to her, so Jamie came around the table to sit in the chair beside hers. Roadie took the other seat next to Reinhardt. 

“There you are,” Satya said, smiling warmly at the two men. “I saved you some beef madras.” 

“Thanks, love,” Jamie said, returning her smile. 

Satya seemed to pause for a moment as Jamie took his seat beside her, wrinkling her nose in his direction. “Why do you smell like whiskey?” 

“Oh, um, new aftershave,” Jamie told her, avoiding her gaze. She continued to scrutinize him for a long moment. 

Reinhardt appeared to have gotten stuck into the beers, a Christmas treat the commander had approved or so it seemed, before Jamie and Roadie had arrived. “This is my first Christmas on base for a long time!” he explained suddenly, apropos of nothing. “It's so good to see so many friends gathered all in one place!” 

Roadie was watching Reinhardt through his gasmask with mild interest. “Where do you normally spend Christmas?” 

“With the Lindholms,” Reinhardt told him. His cheeks were rosy and he was clearly pleased to be asked about his relationship to Torbjörn and Brigitte’s family. “Torbjörn and Ingrid invite me every year. Usually, all the Lindholm children and grandchildren are there, and I dress as _Weihnachtsmann_ _!_ ” 

_‘So that’s where Torbjörn and Brigitte got off to,’_ Jamie mused. He let Satya hand him a plate of curry and rice ladled from a serving dish. 

“So why aren’t you there this year?” Jamie asked him. 

Reinhardt smiled knowingly. “This year, I wanted to see all the mischief the agents get up to when I’m not here. It was time for a change of pace.” 

Jamie nodded, but did not entirely believe what Reinhardt was saying. He felt there was more to the older man’s reasoning that was not being said. 

“Besides,” Reinhardt went on. “I’m sure Torbjörn, Brigitte and Bastion are having plenty of fun without me.” 

Jamie almost dropped his spoon. “ _Bastion_ went to the Lindholms’ Christmas?” he asked. 

“Of course!” Reinhardt laughed, his voice booming in his chest and echoing around the near-empty Mess. “The little ones were begging to meet him!” 

Jamie could just about picture it; a gaggle of excitable children, and _a literal war machine_. What a jolly Christmas they painted in his mind. 

Jamie had heard that Torbjörn had quite a few grandchildren. Perhaps Bastion could count himself among those numbers now. Jamie imagined Bastion being tied up in tinsel and garland by four-hundred Lindholm children while the rest of the family tried to prepare Christmas dinner for a house packed to the rafters with visitors. It was probably a sight to behold. 

Jamie turned his attention back to his meal, taking a spoonful of Satya’s curry and shoving it into his mouth. Then he paused. There was a distinct burning sensation building in the back of his throat. 

“Is it good?” Satya asked him, watching him carefully for a response. 

“Yes, love,” Jamie insisted. He cleared his throat but the burning sensation did not abate. He was having trouble keeping the sweat off his brow and the heat from his cheeks. It was very spicy, perhaps the spiciest Christmas lunch he had ever eaten, but it was delicious too and he wanted to show Satya he appreciated her gesture. 

Satya watched him gulp down a glass of water. When he was done downing that, he slammed the glass on the table and stood. 

“Excuse me,” he said stiffly and turned to head off towards the kitchens at the back of the Mess, almost knocking over his chair in the process. He drew the bemused gaze of several other agents as he passed them. 

Satya watched him go with wide eyes. She turned to the other two men. “Was it the madras?” she asked them. 

“You can’t load up his curry with that much spice, Satya,” Roadie told her. “He’s white.” 

Reinhardt nodded in agreement. "Went to the ends of the earth and conquered whole nations for spices, and yet most of us can't even stomach the stuff," he said. Satya noted that his nose had gone bright red. He had had entirely too much to drink. "Not me though! I love a good currywurst!"

Satya sighed. “Perhaps I ought to check on him.” 

Satya stood and wound her way between the tables towards the Kitchens. Ordinarily, non-kitchen staff were not permitted back here, but this rule had been lifted for Christmas day so everyone could help prepare the midday meal. Besides, Satya got the impression from Jamie’s hasty exit that it was an emergency. 

When Satya opened the door to the Kitchens, she found that the room was virtually empty except for Jamie standing over by the industrial refrigerator. He was chugging a bottle of milk, his face beet red. 

“Jamie? Are you alright?” she asked him. 

He spun to face her, droplets of milk on his chin. His cheeks were still flushed red, whether from the curry or embarrassment, Satya was not sure. He hurried to wipe his mouth on the back of his hand while tucking the milk bottle behind his back to better hide it from her view. 

“Oh, Sat,” he began. “Sorry, I just really, really wanted... a glass of milk.” 

“I can see,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Sorry if the madras was a little too hot.” 

“No, no! It was very tasty, I...” Jamie paused here. He took a deep breath and Satya noticed he was watching her with a curious expression. He appeared to be pondering something. 

Then, his expression softened. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?” he asked her. 

Satya blinked back at him. “What do you mean?” 

Jamie seemed nervous all of a sudden as he set the milk bottle down on a nearby surface. He began to fidget with his hands, a telltale sign that he was anxious about something. “I mean like, we’ve hardly seen each other today. Do you wanna... just go hang out?” 

Satya considered this. He had a point; they had been like passing ships all day. With so many other agents gathered around, it made it difficult for them to spend any quality time together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Their relationship was supposed to be a secret for now. Maybe it might be nice to sneak away from the others for some quiet, alone time? She smiled at him. 

“Ok,” she replied. “I heard that the sequel to the Pachimari Christmas special, ‘Pachimari and Friends Save Santa,’ is screening soon. We could go watch it?” 

“Yes. Fine. Perfect,” Jamie said firmly. He stepped forward and took her hand in his, stepping past her and setting off towards an exit on the other side of the room. He did not like Christmas specials but he was glad of any distraction, _anything_ he could do to spend some time alone with her. They were approaching mid-afternoon now and soon Christmas would be over! He was determined to do _something_ with her. 

Satya allowed herself to be tugged along by Jamie. She was sure the others would not notice them missing and they could always come grab something to eat later. 

The halls of Watchpoint: Gilbralter were eerie and quiet as Jamie stuck his head around every corner to check the coast was clear. It seemed almost every staff member on base was at the Mess at the present moment, so they were virtually alone to make their way towards the screening theatres. These were located near the mission briefing rooms on the other side of base, often used to review body cam footage from agents or watch pre-mission training videos. They were surprisingly comfortable facilities which almost exactly resembled a real movie theatre but on a much smaller scale. Sometimes the Watchpoint’s occupants were allowed to use them for Movie Nights during down-time. 

Somehow, they managed to arrive at the screening room without being seen. Jamie released a sigh of relief. It was important to Satya that he not arouse any suspicion as to the status of their relationship lest she risk losing her job, and being seen traversing the base hand-in-hand whilst seemingly sneaking off somewhere together probably flew in the face of that. 

They snuck into the darkened room, giggling like teenagers, and found two seats at the back of the room. They sunk down in their seats and waited for the movie to start. Jamie felt Satya curl into his side and he slipped an arm around her shoulders. There was something about the darkness of the room and the quiet that came with being the only staff in this part of the base that emboldened Jamie. She did not protest, so he took it as a good sign. 

The movie commenced and Jamie found himself paying very little attention. The light-hearted family fare was not his cup of tea, but he was happy to sit beside his girl, toying with her fingers as the scenes played out before them. 

“Jamie, I’m so glad we got to do this,” Satya murmured. Her head came to rest comfortably against his shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Jamie agreed. He kept his eyes trained on the projection in front of them. “How do you think Pachimari managed to find Santa’s hideout so easily?” 

Satya leaned back to smirk up at him. “Are you enjoying this?” 

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Pfft! As if,” he said quickly. “I’m just pointing out the many plot-holes that inevitably show up in these cheap kids shows.” 

“Santa lives at the North Pole,” Satya told him. “It probably wasn’t that hard for Pachimari to work out where Santa was.” 

Jamie appeared for a moment as though he had not considered this, but recovered quickly. “You don’t think Santa’s Workshop is locked up tight? Maybe some sort of cloaking device? But Pachimari just rolled in there on his weird tentacle things like no problem,” Jamie said, still somehow unable to tear his eyes away from the projector screen in front of them. 

“You’ve been living on a military base too long. I doubt Santa needs that much security,” Satya replied with a giggle. “You _are_ enjoying this,” she added. 

“I am not!” Jamie insisted. He was quiet for a moment, then turned to Satya with hopeful eyes. “But do you think they’ll find the magic McGuffin crystal in time and save Santa?” 

Satya giggled again. “I’m sure they will.” 

She nestled back into his arms and rested her head back on his shoulder. She yawned wide, which caught Jamie’s attention. He watched her for a moment. Her eyes had drifted closed and her legs were tucked up underneath her. Jamie was beginning to feel suspicious about why she was so tired. He lifted his arm and pulled her a little closer against his chest. 

They watched the movie in peace for a while until Jamie heard what he thought might be a snore coming from Satya. Glancing down at her, she realised her breathing had evened out. Her arms were wrapped around his middle, her head buried in his chest. She appeared to be in a deep sleep. It was adorable. 

“Sat?” 

She did not respond. 

“Sat?” he asked again. 

She mumbled something in her sleep about going to the North Pole which made Jamie smirk. 

Slowly, she surfaced from unconsciousness. It took her a moment to fully register where she was and what was going on, but when it hit her, realisation shot through her body like an electric shock. She jumped out of her seat and stared around at the room with wide eyes. 

“Oh no!” she cried and Jamie stared up at her with alarm at the sudden outburst. “I’ve got to go,” she told him and started side-shuffling her way out of their row of seats. 

“Wha— Sat, where are you...?” Jamie began, but Satya did not respond. She was off like a shot and stumbling towards the door, still half-asleep and trying to find her way through bleary eyes. 

Jamie was left staring in shock at the spot where Satya had once been sitting. He glanced at the door through which Satya had just left the Screening Room, wondering if she would pop back through at any moment, but she did not. Had she had some kind of sensory episode? 

The Pachimari Christmas special was still running on the big screen, but Jamie decided to get up and go find out where Satya had rushed off to. He could always find out from Genji later how it ended. 

Unsure where to go or how to begin his search for Satya, Jamie decided to check her room first. Perhaps she just needed a quiet place to go and bring her senses under control? He could not deny that he was worried about her. What could have caused her to behave that way? Had he done something to offend her? He could feel the anxiety rising in his chest like an icy chill. Would she want to see him even if he could find her? 

Checking Satya’s room turned out to be a good guess. Jamie arrived outside her room and as the door slid open, he caught sight of Satya in the middle of something he never could have guessed. 

There she was, standing over by the bed. Satya paused mid-step, caught red-handed. She spun to meet his gaze, eyes wide with surprise. 

“Jamie?” 

His jaw dropped. As he stepped into the room, the door slid shut beside him, and Jamie found himself standing in a kind of wonderland of fairy lights and scattered pillows. The only source of light was the festoon lights hung around the room and the few candles burning nearby. There were drapes hung loose and soft from the ceiling and across the bed to form a kind of pillow fort. Satya had summoned a digital screen to float above her bed and appeared to be in the middle of selecting a movie to watch. 

Jamie picked his jaw up off the floor. 

“Oh, er... Am I interrupting something...?” Jamie began. 

“I... You’re not...” Satya sputtered, still staring at him with no small amount of apprehension. “This— This was mean to be a... surprise.” 

“Surprise?" Jamie asked. He took a couple of steps into her room. There was a warm glow that was so inviting to him somehow. “For me?” 

“Yes,” she replied. She gathered herself, turning towards him fully. “I guess it’s ‘Part Two’ of your gift. Merry Christmas, Jamie.” 

Jamie was still in awe of the what she had managed to achieve since leaving the same room that morning. “You did all of this yourself?” he asked. 

She nodded. Jamie did not miss the hopeful expression on her face as she watched him for a response. “I just wanted to make sure your first Christmas was perfect,” she said quietly. “So, I made this.” She gestured to the bed for emphasis. 

Jamie smiled warmly at her. He crossed the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He reached out for her and she leaned against his side automatically. “This must have been a lot of work,” he remarked. 

She nodded again. 

“Is that why you’ve been so tired all day?” Jamie asked. 

Satya began to chew her lip. “I just wanted everything to be perfect.” 

Jamie laughed. “I’ve been chasing you around the base all day, trying to spend time with you, and this whole time you’ve been rushing off to do all this work,” he said. He ran his hands up her sides with a rueful grin. “The curry, a pillow fort...” 

“...the snowball fight,” she finished for him. 

“Yeah, the snowball—” He paused. He narrowed his eyes at Satya. “Wait, how did you know about the...?” 

This time Satya smiled down at him ruefully. “You mean the snowball fight I paid off Roadie and Reinhardt to stage in front of the mess? That was me.” 

“ _That_ was you?” Jamie asked, dumbfounded. 

She giggled. “This is the first Christmas you’ve celebrated in a long time. And the first winter Christmas. I wanted to make sure it was perfect for you,” she said. “Although, the trip to the infirmary was totally unplanned. Sorry about that.” 

“Sat, you didn’t have to do all of that,” Jamie told her. 

Satya’s face dropped. “You didn’t like it?” 

“No. It’s not that,” Jamie said quickly. “It's the first Christmas I’ve ever had anyone to celebrate with. So, I don’t care if it's not perfect. The only thing I want more than anything else, is to spend this day with you.” 

Satya watched his face. She was beginning to see his side of things. 

Jamie went on, “All I wanted to do was spend Christmas with you. And I kind missed you a lot today. I wish I could have spent more time with you.” 

His hands were still lingering on her sides, but Satya did not let that distract her. She was still watching him intently. She realised that he had a point, but maybe there was still time to set it right. 

Satya glanced down at her wrist watch. “You know, there’s still a few hours of Christmas left.” 

“Yeah?” he asked. A smirk was slowly spreading across his face. 

She smiled down at him. “How about we cuddle for a bit and finish that Pachimari special together?” she asked. "Then maybe we could sneak down to the Mess later for snacks?"

“My dear, nothing would please me more,” he replied with a grin. He stood then, pulling her into his warm embrace, but Satya leaned back so she could keep her eyes on him. 

“There’s one more thing,” she said. 

“Oh? What’s that?” he asked. 

Satya did not respond at first. She simply lifted her eyes to look very pointedly at the ceiling. Jamie followed her gaze. 

Hanging up above them, Jamie spotted a small bundle of leaves with white berries suspended from the ceiling. He suspected this was another of Satya’s little ‘surprises.’ 

“Is this also your doing?” he asked her, letting his hands run up her back and drawing her nearer. Her own hands began to creep along his shoulders to play with his hair. He hoped she noticed how extra careful he was being around his explosives. Now that he was not burning it off so frequently, it was actually starting to grow in nicely. 

Satya did not reply to his questions, choosing instead to simply nod with a smile curling at the corners of her mouth. 

Jamie laughed. “Aw, Satya that’s so sweet,” he said. “Athena, play ‘Under the Tree’ by Sam Palladio.” 

To Satya’s surprise, Athena actually did start pumping soft music into her room. As the gentle tune wafted on the air and started to surround them, Satya let Jamie pull her into a slow, swaying dance beside her bed. He leaned in close and she leaned in to meet him halfway. His lips pressed a soft kiss to hers, eliciting a low noise of pleasure from her. And it was perfect. 

When they parted, Satya buried her head in his shoulder and swayed with him under the fairy lights. The warm bed beckoned nearby. The music lulled them into a comfortable silence. 

Finally, their Christmas was perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was very self-indulgent. 
> 
> I realized we were missing a lot of Satya and Jamie just hanging out and getting to know each other as boyfriend/girlfriend in M&F so I wanted to write some scenes like that and everyone just hanging out, having fun, and experiencing a nice Christmas. 
> 
> “McCree, you can give up now, or you can get back on your feet, because I certainly can’t do it without you, and I know you can’t do it without me.” This was based on a line from a Game Grumps episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGsRmEEx6s#t=498s


End file.
